MILFORD – One day before the class action suit against the Milford Water Co. was set to go to trial, a settlement was reached between the company and the 11 plaintiffs suing over an August 2009 incident in which E. coli was found in the town’s water supply.

The discovery led to a 13-day boil-water order

Details of the settlement have not been made public, as both parties will meet today with a judge in Worcester Superior Court. Since the suit is a class action, the settlement needs the approval of a judge.

The Milford Water Co. released a statement on Monday saying it was pleased to enter into a negotiated settlement agreement.

"After more than 100 years of nearly perfect service Milford Water lost the trust and confidence of many of our customers and the elected officials of the Town of Milford," said Manager David Condrey. "We have been working diligently over the past four and a half years to regain that trust, and our effort continues. We are hopeful that this settlement will allow our affected customers to have closure from the water quality events of 2009."

The lead attorney for the plaintiffs, James O’Connor, declined to comment on the settlement until after the meeting with the judge.

The suit, which was certified as a class action in January 2013 and has 11 plaintiffs suing the company, alleges negligence, gross negligence, breach of contract, breach of warranties and unjust enrichment by the private utility saying it failed to provide potable water and adequate service between Aug. 5-21, 2009.

During that period, the state Department of Environmental Protection implemented a boil-water order for the town because samples taken from the company tested for E. coli bacteria. The plaintiffs allege they suffered personal injury and sickness from the contaminated water.

The 2009 incident also led to the conviction of former water company manager Henry Papuga on tampering with water samples after it was ruled he attempted to get lifted the boil-water order the town was under. Papuga admitted to adding bleach to samples following his conviction and was sentenced to five years of probation and community service.

Contact Lindsay Corcoran at 508-634-7582 or lcorcoran@wickedlocal.com. Follow her on Twitter @LacorcMDN.